Thousands appeared to mourn René Angélil's death at his memorial service.

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Thousands gather to mourn René Angélil with Céline Dion

By Nick Georgandis

February 9, 2018

Céline Dion called the support of fans and friends a "blessing" as she spoke to the media after her husband, René Angélil, was laid to rest at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, according to People magazine.

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Dion lost her husband of 21 years to cancer on Jan. 14, 2016, only to lose her brother, Daniel Dion, to a similar illness two days later. Fans turned out in droves outside the basilica, where Dion and Angélil were married in 1994, to show their support to the singer who dominated the pop and adult contemporary charts in the 1990s.

"Céline is Québec. She is an ambassador of Québec. And this was her great love, and we had to be there for her," Montreal resident Judith Picard, who waited outside for three hours to greet Dion said to People. "They're inseparable, they're like one person, and now she lost half of herself. So I feel for her. We had to celebrate his life coming here today."

Angélil's funeral was live-streamed on the Internet and broadcast live on Canadian television, according to a report by CNN. Before marrying Dion, he was a popular Canadian singer, producer, and manager.

Dion was photographed wearing all black, including a veil, and holding a red rose along with 14-year-old son René-Charles, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.